Front Page Really slow to load

[Brown Jenkin]

Originally Posted by wedgeski

Edit: The weird thing is it's so erratic. I can clink a link at one moment and it loads lightning fast... two minutes later I'll click another and it can take literally minutes to load... then five minutes later I'll open 5 in a row in FF tabs and they all load almost immediately... ten minutes later, another slow one, and so-on.

Same for me on both FF2 and IE7. I don't hit the front page that often, I normally jump right to the forums and I notice it in the forums moreso than the front page.

[Michael Morris]

Originally Posted by Thakazum

Are you on shared hosting? First step in fixing this is moving off that if finances can support it.

We own the box.

Have you checked your slow query logs? This looks like the result of some really slow queries causing subsequent queries to wait.

Possible. I honestly think I've been looking in the wrong place. File transfers where the database isn't involved at all have been slow as well - this is leading me to rexamine the httpd.conf settings.

Disk access speed could also be a culprit.

Likely but won't be addressable until after the OS reinstall sometime next month or September.

I suggest moving the wiki to a different MySQL instance.

I'm using MyISAM tables. The database that the tables reside in is irrelevant.

Another suggestion, which I don't expect anyone to take seriously - remove or significantly reduce the database access occurring on the front page. I'm assuming most of your traffic hits that page. Try caching that page or just make it static altogether.

It is.

[ParagonofVirtue]

Yep, website is very slow for me too on my 20MBps line, especially the front page it seems.

Using Firefox 3 in Vista if that has any relevance.

Forums seem fast.

[Nonlethal Force]

Wow. At this moment in time, ENWorld is backto very fast. I realize that this is a variable thing until the MySQL problem is determined. But Iwanted to just let you all know that I appreciate your efforts. I'm sorry I can't do morethan stand behind you all and say "I do believe you'll get to the bottom of this" and "Thanks."

But unfortunately, that's all I've got.

Oh, wait! I have noticed that when I'm on a on a slower machine that ENWorld is fast until Ilog in. Then it is slower ... much slower. Don't know if that helps or not.

NLF

[Michael Morris]

Originally Posted by Thakazum

Are you on shared hosting? First step in fixing this is moving off that if finances can support it.

Have you checked your slow query logs? This looks like the result of some really slow queries causing subsequent queries to wait.

Disk access speed could also be a culprit.

I suggest moving the wiki to a different MySQL instance.

Another suggestion, which I don't expect anyone to take seriously - remove or significantly reduce the database access occurring on the front page. I'm assuming most of your traffic hits that page. Try caching that page or just make it static altogether.

Well let's try yet *another* setting, see what it does. This time I'll dial mysql back on its memory requirements.

[yu gnomi]

As of time of posting, site is "zippy". All new tabs opening fast, no problems.

However, for past 3 or for days, I frequently get 503 errors (cannot connect) from my proxy. Have updated my browser to Firefox 3, and issue persists.

Most of time, new tabs open fast. Occasionally, for about 5 to 10 minutes at a time, every ENWorld address gives 503 error.

Is this the same issue? or should I continue to monkey around at my end?

I have been thinking about simply disabling my proxy (named Privoxy, if it matters) since I probably don't really need it.

Edit: It just happened again, but only lasted for a minute or so this time.

[jeffh]

Is this also why I get redirected to a blank white page about two seconds after the front page finishes loading? (Using Firefox 2).

[amnuxoll]

I'm glad I found this thread! The main page has been slow to load for me since the switch to the new software. (I'm using Firefox.) I've taken to loading it in one window while doing other surfing elsewhere. It takes (really) minutes to come up. The funny thing is that it's a blank page for a long time and then suddenly you get all the content. The other pages (while not always zippy) reliably load in, at worst, a tolerable amount of time.

*Puts professor of computer science hat on* (A guy has gotta do something for a living.)

This smells to me of some sort of error in the code and not an error in the server setting. I recommend you examine the server side code that is supposed to run when the main page is loaded. Try creating a test page that's identical to main page (if that's reasonably easy) and then gradually removing bits of it until you figure out what the offending script is.

If I were you, I'd also try to reduce the duration of your debug cycle. I'm sure there are plenty of folks on this list who'd be happy to hit that page for you when you want to test something. If you can get about 10-20 of them on a temporary mailing list you could email us whenever you've made a change and probably get a response from at least 3-4 folks within 5 minutes.

*takes professor hat off* Also feel free to tell me to butt out of your debug problems. I'm grateful in any case for your hard work!

:AMN:

[Knightfall]

Hey Michael, I'm just letting you know that the site has been slow (or down) for me all day. Thanks for all your hard work on this issue.

Keeping the faith,

KF72

[Knightfall]

Okay, the messageboards are currently FLYING FAST for me.

[DarkKestral]

I'm having similar front page issues as everyone else, in addition to random slowdowns, but I'm also having a fair number of issues accessing the forum as well, and my access is spotty, as well as speed. Typically, if I can't access one, I can't access the other, though there are cases where that may not be the case.

I'm on FF 2, WinXP, if that helps.

[ParagonofVirtue]

As for the front page slow loads, I get A LOT of "transferring data", "waiting", "transferring date" etc. over and over before it loads. Takes several seconds.

Are you using some sort of "load the entire page before displaying it" that might make it go way slower?